The neighbourhood gems where Calgarians love to eat

Calgary is home to a thriving and diverse culinary scene, but a handful of high-profile restaurants tend to hog the limelight. This is unfortunate, as the city is brimming with fantastic food and hard-working restaurateurs, sometimes in unexpected places. Here are some the neighbourhood gems where Calgarians love to eat. They might not be flashy, but each is uniquely delicious.

1. Afghan Kabob Cuisine
Community: Castleridge
Come Here For: Excellent Afghan cuisine, including mantu (beef or lamb dumplings), nahkot (roasted chickpeas) and a variety of delicious kabobs.

2. Atlas Specialty Market & Persian Cuisine
Community: Downtown West End
Come Here For: Delectable Persian favourites, including ghormeh sabzi (a fragrant herb and beef stew) and badenjan (fried eggplant and beef in a tomato broth).

3. Banana Leaf Tropical Cuisine
Community: Horizon Industrial Park
Come Here For: Unpretentious and flavourful Malaysian and Taiwanese dishes, including spicy seafood curry laksa and roti canai.

4. Cozy Kitchen
Community: Manchester Industrial Park
Come Here For: Calgary's only Bosnian restaurant experience, with dishes that include pita burek (beef-filled phyllo pastry) and chevapi with lepinya (sausages with flatbread).

5. Naina's Kitchen
Community: Mission
Come Here For: Their famous stuffed burgers, including the Nainalicious (filled with pulled pork, cheddar cheese, apple and caramelized onions) and the poutine stuffed burger (filled with fries, cheese curds and gravy).

6. Patisserie du Soleil Bakery Café
Community: Woodbine
Come Here For: Instagram-worthy pastries, rich espressos and classic French dishes like beef bourguignon and braised lamb shank.

7. Pfanntastic Pannenkoek Haus
Community: North Glenmore Park
Come Here For: Delicious sweet or savoury Dutch
pancakes ("Pannenkoek"), with toppings that range from bacon and egg, to apple and cinnamon.

8. Santorini Greek Taverna
Community: Crescent Heights
Come Here For: Authentic, homemade Greek dishes, including spanakopita (pastry filled with spinach and feta), dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves with a creamy lemon sauce) and moussaka (a hearty meal of eggplant, ground meat
and a béchamel sauce).

9. White Elephant Thai Cuisine
Community: Vista Heights
Come Here For: Authentic Thai dishes – including pad se-ew, tom ka kai and matsaman curry – in a strange, but charming, location.

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